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What not to forget!

Some things just make life a whole lot easier when you remember to take them with you when going abroad – even though you might not think of them in the first place.

by Pia Knappstein

Power strip

Photo by Karl Baron

Something so small, so easy to forget but nevertheless one of the essential things that you should fit into your suitcase. This way, you need to take less adapters and you can easily charge or use any electronic device you want to without too much effort.

But don’t forget to take an adapter, too!

Tourist guide

Photo by spykster

You will probably get a tourist guide before you leave from your parents, family or friends. Make sure to take it and have a look at what you can do! Usually, they have information about the country, culture and also the city you will be visiting. Have a look inside to get some insights about nice spots to go sightseeing, shopping and eating. But make sure to ask the locals for some special tips as well. They will have interesting perspectives and can definitely give you insights that are different than the ones a tourist would get. And that’s the goal, isn’t it?

Chocolate

Photo by Eric Hossinger

No matter if you like chocolate or not – the locals you will get to know will definitely be excited to try some candy of the country you come from. Plus, you will really appreciate to have something to offer to people – it is interesting for others and it is a nice way to get in touch with people talking about your own culture. Additionally, I can tell you from experience, that sometimes while you are travelling you are more than happy to eat things you didn’t like before. In Germany, we have a really dark bread called Pumpernickel that I absolutely disliked when I was in Germany. Being abroad for some time, I found it really nice – until I came back to Germany again.

Something from where you come from

Photo by Romain Guy

Bring something unique to the region or country you come from. It could be a nice wine for your Homestay family, a game you really enjoy to play or music that a local band produces. As you grow into the new culture, and learn many new things, you should give something back to the people around you. For example: I brought one of my favorite games called “Ligretto” and fridge magnets from the city I come from.

Travel Diary

Photo by Frederik Rubensson

No matter if you like writing or not, you really should hold on to your memories. You are going to experience so much in the upcoming time that it is almost impossible to keep all of that in mind. Photos capture some of these moments, but it is also nice to have a place to write down funny stories and new impressions. I am 100% sure after your return, you will enjoy flipping through the pages seeing all those memories. It is one of the best feelings going back in time to these wonderful moments. You can also find very nice applications for your computer. Mac users might like Day one that looks very user-friendly and you can also add photos and export it as a PDF file.

Cooking Skills

Photo by Laura D’Alessandro

The saying goes that The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach – this is also true for friends and family. You should absolutely be able to prepare a traditional meal or desert for friends and family abroad. This creates an international understanding of the culture and maybe corrects the impression people have on your origin before getting to know your culture. Furthermore, you are going to want to show off with the great things your national cuisine offers! And of course, sometimes you are going to miss your mother’s cooking skills and then it’s up to you to take over the cooking spoon.

How-To Washing Machine

Photo by Christian Senger

Although your parents might still be doing your laundry at home, there is no guarantee that your host family is going to do the laundry for you, too. So now is the time to look over your parent’s shoulder and get some tips and tricks how to use the tools you might need. You don’t want your favorite shirt to turn out to be the shirt that is too small since the last laundry load. And even if you don’t need to do your laundry yourself – maybe you don’t want your homestay to wash your underwear.

Last but not least be sure to bring an open mind and be ready for all the new adventures that will come your way!

Giving students a deeper understanding of global cultural diversity

by Anthony Ferreira

Over the past 20 years, MLI has been helping to communicate the message of Canada’s beauty, vitality and cultural history to Japanese students placed in hundreds of communities across Canada. Our Canadian students, families and schools have welcomed Japanese youth into their hearts and homes and have received this message of friendship with open arms.

The Japanese students that have participated in MLI’s programs have made positive and lasting relationships in our Canadian communities and we envision a future in which our Canadian students may strengthen these bonds by pursuing study abroad opportunities within Japan.

As previously asserted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan has set the goal of increasing “the number of foreign nationals studying in Japan to 300,000” by Tokyo 2020. MLI intends to continue to support Canadian students who are seeking study abroad opportunities at the top International Universities in Japan.

For over four years, MLI and sister company YES Canada (Youth Educational Services) has been successfully coordinating short-term study programs in Japan for Canadian youth. Moving forward, MLI is strongly committed to expanding on these programs with help from our Japanese partners, so that we can provide increased study abroad opportunities for students across Canada.

The new generations of Japanese and Canadian youth have helped to open up new pathways, sister relationships and partnerships between our two nations. We are confident that the relationships that we have created between Canadian and Japanese schools, school boards and regions will allow this program to continue and flourish for years to come.

I’m Pia and I’m from Germany. My Muskoka Language International experience is not the traditional student experience, but rather a university student experience. What I’m doing is an internship. I have now been with the company for over two months and I feel it has been one of the best decisions that I have made.

When I was 16, my parents gave me the chance to spend 9 months abroad in Auckland, New Zealand. That was when I fell in love with travelling, going abroad and getting to know new cultures. That is also the reason, why I came to Canada to do my internship. I knew that I wanted to do the curricular internship for university abroad and when my boyfriend was accepted in a laboratory here, I had to take the chance.

And now I’m here. And I love it.

So far, what I can tell you about MLI is that it is fun! The team is absolutely fantastic.

The first person I got in touch with was Kathy. I called her from Germany and the first impression was lovely. Every time we talked I was more and more looking forward to go to Canada. She made me feel welcome and valued before I came and she did not disappoint me once I arrived. Every time we talked on Skype I was more and more excited about what was to come.

When Cindy picked me up from the airport, she talked about Muskoka Language International as “the family”. I think that is just the right term for the company. Kathy welcomed me with a hug, I had a long chat with Mike about the company history and we had lots of cake – which was a really nice thing, of course.

I am working for Muskoka Language International with Michelle on social media. When I came, the media presence was… interesting. We started setting up all the different networks, went through all the material and sent many organisational emails. Going through all the photos and videos, I was reminded of the great experiences I was given as a student abroad and I am now being given again during this internship.

If you want to know what the company with the slogan of small town Canada is about, it is really about family. What Mike, Bev and Cheryl want for the students is also what they live behind the windows of MLI. Everybody is welcome, it is personal and everybody is as valued coming as leaving. The team has built very strong ties.

Besides working with Michelle on social media, I got the opportunity to gain some insights into the other departments and understand the different issues that arise and see first-hand how people support each other in problem solving. I don’t know if this is just Canadian nature, however I never experienced this level of teamwork before.

After 2 months of work, I feel that I have now decided the business I want to work in for the rest of my life. I am very much looking forward to all that is still to come. I can’t wait for it!

How was MLI founded in 1994?

As we approach our 20th year in business, this story is a look back at where the MLI values, mission and concept were born.

by Pia Knappstein

Bev and Mike, co-founders of MLI, grew up in the same hometown and have known each other since they were kids. They kept in touch and golfed together frequently as adults. As both their fathers were entrepreneurs, and ran small businesses, the two were well aware of the ethics, integrity and commitment necessary to be successful in small business.

“Would international students be welcomed into Canadian homes?”

One day, as Mike was driving up to Huntsville to golf with a friend from Japan, a conversation started with this question “Would international students be welcomed into Canadian homes?” Mike knew that Japanese students frequently went to Australia to learn English language skills, learn about the culture, experience living with a homestay family, attend school in a different country, and make new friends. Mike was convinced that international students would be warmly welcomed in small towns across Canada. From personal experience with billeting programs for school bands, athletic events and hockey tournaments, he felt that this was something that one could build upon as a company. As the conversation ensued, he then learned that in Japan every high school student has to take a trip abroad – so each year close to 200,000 students travel abroad to experience, education, culture, learn English and experience a foreign country.

“I thought about the idea for a few weeks and became very excited.” says Mike.

“I then phoned Bev, who had been working in the education sector for over 20 years.” Bev had been a teacher, a vice-principal, a principal and senior administrator at an Ontario school board which nicely complemented the experience that Mike had in distribution, international business and pricing; in addition to them both having had entrepreneurial experience and knowledge.

So the two of them sat down with their wives for dinner, had some wine, threw some ideas around, and mapped out a business plan. They planned to build a program to bring young people from other countries to Canada, wanting them to experience what it was like for them growing up in beautiful small town Canada.

In the communities MLI works in, students will experience living in a home where nine times out of ten, people never lock their door. They will experience a community where you walk down the main street and someone says, “Oh you’re with the Japanese group. How do you like our town?” People in these towns have a sense of pride in their community, and the idea is that people feel welcome, safe and comfortable. These communities offer an optimal learning environment, surrounded by nature and wildlife. In small town Canada, the residents will look you in the eye and offer a smile and a hello. That is the reason why they want to bring people away from the cities to experience small town Canada.

Keeping in mind the attributes that these students look for – particularly the Japanese, they did not want to focus on the cities but, instead, on the places where people could feel more like a part of a family and a community. Many Japanese come from big urban centres, where it can be hard to access nature or walk to school.

“Our whole company concept is based on that dinner after Thanksgiving 1994.”

During the next summer, we had our first group: 53 kids from Osaka, Japan. After three years, Bev left his school board position to work full time on the business. At first, they operated only summer programs, but when they noticed the high interest in Western Canada, they brought in a new partner, Cheryl Lee, a former Director of Sales at Metro Toronto Convention Centre who had worked with Mike at Ontario Tourism. Cheryl runs the Vancouver office and has been a great addition to the growth and development of the Western market.

MLI’s core values are honesty, integrity, and to never promise something we can’t deliver to our clients. We want to be knowledgeable, and our knowledge is based on our products and services, but also on the needs of the students. We work with students, schools, teachers, agents, and parents, and we have had amazing results creating memorable experiences for thousands of students. We want young people to learn from our experience, and to gain life, leadership and language skills, while making new friends from new parts of the world. We believe our company changes people’s lives in many respects; those who participate in MLI’s programs will both enjoy and learn about the Canadian way of life, but also share their culture in order to enrich the lives of Canadians.

“MLI is focused on staying unique and self-reliant. We are committed to our business and to our very important and valuable employees. “

We want our employees to feel like a part of our unique family and to feel safe and valued in our company. We operate the business in a very personal manner – as a small, Canadian family business – and we prefer face-to-face communication. We try to create a healthy and exciting environment where people feel they can trust MLI. Muskoka Language International is not a job, but a lifestyle.